Gig Harbor looks like this if you are 1 1/2: Water, rocks, chickens, bubbles, dog, water, water, mud, rocks, Nana (grandma G), Papa (grandpa G), mom, dad, Chrissy (occasionally). Books, naps, water, rocks. Eating berries, eating peaches, getting to eat at the table with the big folks. Water. Rocks.

If you are a bit older, it looks like this: a nice big house at the end of a long, quiet driveway on a lagoon which the tide empties completely twice a day. A short drive to a cute harbor town with lots of restaurants and coffee shops. A slightly longer drive to state parks with trails and to Point Defiance Park, which has what I kept calling a "zoo with a view" (the zoo is terraced onto a hillside overlooking the sound). Also, eating berries, eating peaches. And managing the kids' water and rocks.

We didn't take that many photos during the two weeks we were down there, by our normal profligate standards, because we were too ... busy ... relaxing ... The high point for me, no pun intended, was lying on the grass next to the lagoon holding the line as Oppie, our red octopus kite, floated overhead in a perfect blue sky and the kids played nearby (watched by James's mom! without whom this scene could not have been enjoyed!)

The cat, who stayed at home and was fed by our friend Tracy while we were gone, seems a lot bigger and heavier all of a sudden. Not fat, just like he's grown. Our neighbors said the same about the kids when they saw us unloading the car. If Tuck and Emi have added any inches, though, those inches must consist entirely of berries, peaches, and water. I knew they were sweet kids (ha!).

We ate our first real dinner as a family tonight, with Tuck sitting on a new booster chair that arrived while we were out of town, and Emi on one of the booster seats we used in Gig Harbor. This is a huge improvement over me frantically feeding the kids in high chairs in the kitchen. The move was something we have been working towards all summer, but I made the final shift after reading a wonderful book about kids and food, Child of Mine. James has committed to coming home at 5:30 so we can all eat together at 6 for the next month to try it out. This is a big departure from our previous schedule, which had him helping out in the morning but not coming home until after the kids' bedtime most nights.

Towards the end of dinner, we taught Tuck how to toast with his sippy cup. In typical fashion, it was Emi -- playing on the floor in the next room -- who picked up the verbal portion of it ("cheers!") while Tuck enthusiastically smacked cups with us. He is quite the pint-sized bon vivant now. Afterwards James and I sat and enjoyed our fizzy apple juice in wine glasses while the kids ran around the table -- it felt like someone else's life.